Grant from Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust Funds Effort to Measure, Improve Community Health

ALLENTOWN, Pa., Dec. 16, 2013 – The Health Care Council of the Lehigh Valley (HCCLV) today announced it received a grant of $276,000 from The Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust. The 18-month grant will provide funding through May 2015 to support the HCCLV’s charge to assess and measurably improve the health of the Lehigh Valley’s citizens.

The HCCLV membership is comprised of the Allentown Health Bureau, Bethlehem Health Bureau, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, KidsPeace Mental Health Network, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Sacred Heart Healthcare System, St. Luke’s University Health Network and The Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust.

“By bringing together the expertise and resources of the region’s health care systems in a common cause under the HCCLV umbrella, we intend to create a demonstrable, sustained and positive impact on the health of the residents of the Lehigh Valley,” said Ronald C. Dendas, Program Officer for the Pool Trust.

In 2013, the HCCLV completed a Community Health Needs Assessment for the Lehigh Valley, as required by the U.S. Affordable Care Act. As part of that assessment, HCCLV identified the leading causes of death and illness in the community that can be improved by better access to care, promoting healthy lifestyles and behaviors, addressing social causes of health and health disparities and enhancing the collection and dissemination of health information.

The grant will be used by HCCLV to fund a Youth Risk Behavior Assessment, engage with communities and their leaders, and hire a project manager who will coordinate services and resources of its member organizations. The project manager will also oversee several planned community-based participatory research projects and assessments, including developing the framework for the 2016 Community Health Assessment. In addition, the HCCLV will seek community communications assistance to aid in maximizing community engagement and sharing the group’s progress with the greater Lehigh Valley.

ABOUT HCCLV
The Health Care Council of the Lehigh Valley (HCCLV) was formed to assess the health of the citizens of the Lehigh Valley as well as to create a plan for broadly improving the health of those within the community. HCCLV coordinates the efforts of member health care organizations that include Allentown Health Bureau, Bethlehem Health Bureau, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, KidsPeace Mental Health Network, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Sacred Heart Healthcare System, St. Luke’s University Health Network and The Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust.